India Coronavirus Dispatch: How cinema halls are coping with the new normal

Haryana's recovery rate crosses 91%, Delhi back as No.1 infected city, new study focusses on 'Long Covid'--news on how the country is dealing with the pandemic

Theatres reopen: Cinema halls outside containment zones in several states have reopened after remaining shut for nearly seven months. The pandemic, however, may have ushered in a new era of movie-watching. Theatres are now abiding by SOPs issued by the government. In a Delhi theatre, even the food menu is QR code-enabled and uses UV-sterilised packaging. Further, contact surfaces have been covered with an anti-microbial film. Further, shows are scheduled in such a manner that intervals of two movies never coincide to ensure there’s no overcrowding. Theatre managements have been planning for the reopening long before the SOPs were even released. To encourage people to come, however, cinema halls have lined up special shows for health workers and others. Read more here

Rooming in: Most Covid-19 hospitals in India are no longer separating newborns from their mothers following emerging evidence that transmission of Covid-19 from the mother to the baby is very rare. Paediatricians are of the view that Covid-19 antibodies in breast milk protect the babies. Even infected mothers, therefore, are being advised to continue breastfeeding the newborn. Hospitals are now resorting to ‘rooming-in’ — keeping the mother at a distance of six feet from the baby. Experts suggest that if the mother is too ill to feed the baby then an arrangement must be made for the newborn to still be fed. Doctors say measures such as wearing a mask, washing the hands and other surfaces with soap or sanitiser is ver important to prevent transmission of the disease. Read more here

In Numbers

Haryana’s Covid data: The pandemic in Haryana has slowed considerably. The recovery rate in the state has crossed 91 per cent. The recovery rate in 4 districts that border Delhi — Faridabad, Gurgaon, Jhajjar, and Sonipat — have especially risen. These districts have reported the highest number of Covid cases and have the highest positivity rates in the state. Further, even the fatality rates in these districts have declined. The state’s fatality rate is 1.11 per cent, much lower than the national average of 1.52 per cent. However, almost half of the state is still above the critical positivity rate of 6 per cent. Those belonging to the age group 25-34 years are the most vulnerable in the state. Further a higher proportion — 66 per cent — of the positive cases have been recorded amongst males. Read more here

Delhi back on top: Delhi has regained the number one position among cities with the highest number of Covid-19 cases in India. Delhi reported around 3,500 new cases on Thursday, taking its total number of cases so far to 321,000. With this it overtook Pune which had been the city with the highest number of cases for over a month. Pune, which was reporting around 5,000 cases a day in August, saw its numbers dip over time. Delhi, on the other hand, has seen intermittent phases of peaks and troughs. Its numbers have started to go up again over the past two weeks and it has been reporting over 3,000 daily cases again after a short a short interval. Read more here

Understanding Covid-19

Long Covid facts: Testimonies of people who suffer from long-term effects of Covid-19 or ‘Long Covid’ are now the focus of a new study. The patients continue to reel under the effects of the infection months after first testing positive. A 20-year-old, for example, says she is no longer able to run or jog like before as she feels perpetually exhausted. The damage to lungs is especially acute as most patients say they feel a pain shoot up after any physical activity. Support groups for these patients on social media list remedies like vitamin pills and zinc to get their bodies back to normalcy. Some of them have even switched to anti-inflammatory diets. A common complaint is apathy of health care providers. Patients complain that doctors do not recognise ‘long Covid’ and dismiss most of the symptoms as resulting from anxiety. Read more here